This invention relates to interactive television systems such as interactive television program guide systems, and more particularly, to linking techniques in interactive television systems.
Cable, satellite, and broadcast television systems provide viewers with a large number of television channels. Viewers have traditionally consulted printed television program schedules to determine the programs being broadcast at a particular time. More recently, interactive electronic television program guides have been developed that allow television program information to be displayed on a viewer's television.
Interactive program guides are typically implemented on set-top boxes. Such program guides allow users to view television program listings in different display formats. For example, a user may instruct the program guide to display a grid of program listings organized in a channel-ordered or a time-ordered list. Users may also search and sort program listings by theme (e.g., movies, sports, etc.) or by title (i.e., alphabetically). The user may purchase a pay program from the program guide by placing the highlight region on a program listing and pressing an “OK” key. Some systems allow the user to select a program for recording by placing the highlight region on a program listing and pressing a “record” key.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an interactive television system that supports programming-related links between various applications.